Total pages in book: 92
Estimated words: 85593 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 428(@200wpm)___ 342(@250wpm)___ 285(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 85593 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 428(@200wpm)___ 342(@250wpm)___ 285(@300wpm)
“Do you have a reservation?”
“I’m meeting a friend, actually. Handsome, young, dirty blonde hair?”
She nodded knowingly. “This way.”
I followed her through the restaurant. Even at the odd hour, it was already bustling with activity. We entered a private room in the back and I saw Charleston sitting with an appetizer of some kind of flatbread and dip in front of him. He had a drink in one hand and his phone in the other.
The hostess smiled and left.
“Hey, I gotta go,” Charleston said, hanging up the call quickly and rushing to his feet to hug me. “Holy shit, you came!”
“Of course I did,” I laughed.
We spent a few minutes catching up on small talk while I ordered a drink and something to eat. I’d been mostly keeping him posted on the developments at work, minus all the stressful stuff. I knew Charleston had enough on his plate without me adding to it, so I pretty much just told him Jasmine left and we had a new boss. I’d also sort of glossed over the part where I didn’t get my pitch. I definitely didn’t go into any detail about Dominic, because Charleston was infamous for matchmaking.
“So how is this new boss? You’ve barely told me anything about him.” Charleston asked. He looked like a movie star, as always. He had on a pristine white suit with dark blue lapels and a fancy sort of scarf all bunched around his neck that was light gray and shimmery. His fingernails were perfectly manicured and his skin looked so glowing and healthy that he might have tapped his shower into some kind of fountain of youth. Technically, Charleston was bisexual, but watching his dating career up close since we were kids told me it was more like he was gay and prone to moments of horny exploration with women. Still, we’d never crossed the line of friendship, and I was glad for it. Having him as a friend was too important to me. Besides, there were some people I just never saw like that, and Charleston was one of them.
“The new boss,” I said slowly. “Well, he might actually be as handsome as you are, for starters.”
“Bullshit,” Charleston laughed, then popped a piece of flatbread in his mouth. “And if it’s not, I need to see pictures.”
“Believe it or not, I haven’t snapped any pictures of my boss.”
“Duh. What’s his name? I’ll look him up.”
“Dominic Lockwood.”
Charleston had his phone in both hands but he let it fall when he heard the name. “Wait. Dominic Lockwood. That asshole from Columbia who got you expelled? That is your new boss?”
“It turns out he really had nothing to do with me getting expelled. It was all his dad. But yeah, it’s that one.”
“Shit. He is hot. So do we hate him or want to get in his pants? I need to know what to root for here.”
“Both?” I laughed and let my face fall into my hands, shaking my head. “It’s complicated.”
“Complicated is the best. So have you guys hooked up yet?”
“No. Definitely not.”
“Well, what is he like? Is this purely a physical thing, or do you like him?”
“He’s cold and distant. He’s super serious and all business, especially at work.”
“But,” Charleston prompted.
“But,” I sighed. I should’ve known Charleston would squeeze more out of me. “I just have this gut feeling about him. Like that’s not all there is. I mean, he stood up for me to my dad. He can be really understanding. And I get the impression he has some shit in his personal life, but I don’t think he really lets anybody in to help him with it.”
“Ah, okay.” Charleston twirled the ice in his drink and sipped. “So this is a rescue operation. He’s the cute puppy at the shelter that growls and bites, and you think you can fix him.”
“It’s not that.”
Charleston raised his eyebrows at me, waiting.
“Okay, it’s kind of that. But it’s not all that. It’s kind of cool how much he cares about the magazine, I guess. At first I thought it was all about the money, but he’s got something to prove. It’s really important to him, and he has this vision. I mean, it’s a flawed vision, if you ask me, but I respect the drive I guess.”
“What about him? What does he think of you?”
I chuckled. “Well, I’m pretty sure he likes my ass.”
“You have a fantastic ass,” Charleston agreed.
“Thank you. And unless he’s full of shit, he thinks my writing is good. He has been firing anyone who gives him the slightest excuse, and I’ve given him plenty. But he thinks I’m too useful to let go.”
“So he has good taste. Hm. I don’t know, Darcy. I think this sounds like at least a sampler situation. You take the dick for a ride, see how things go, and don’t make any hard commitments.”